Cortesia de Chandler Plante
Cortesia de Chandler Plante
I have a hard time letting go. During yoga class, when the instructor encourages us to release our tongue from the roof of the mouth, I keep mine glued in place out of sheer spite. So when I sit down to try Alicia Keys's favorite workout class — aptly named ' La Classe '- i el fundador, Taryn Toomey , comença a parlar d'alliberament, ja estic incòmode.
En essència, The Class repeteix un moviment singular per a la totalitat d'una cançó, generant calor al cos i després us demana que observeu què apareix. A mesura que comenceu a moure's, [amb] exercicis com la gatzoneta o els salts, el professor us guiarà cap a la consciència del vostre moviment, diu. Natalie Kuhn , Co-CEO anteriorment va col·laborar amb The Class el 2021 per al Mes de conscienciació sobre la salut mental, fins i tot va portar The Class al seu recent llançament d'Athleta al gener.
Crear consciència és una cosa, però com assenyala Toomey abans de capbussar-se en la programació, el veritable repte és decidir si hi ha o no tendències que esteu disposats a llançar. Sincerament, no n'estic segur. Però tinc prou curiositat per provar-ho i em concentro en un dels mantres de Toomey per ajudar-lo, repetint després d'ella: Mostra'm.
I'm practicing The Class at home on a sunny Sunday in Arizona, still slightly apprehensive, but pleasantly surprised to find that the 60-minute practice starts off like some kind of psychedelic yoga disco. To get the full experience, I choose a session taught by Toomey herself, and after warming up, the class is bouncing and shaking. 'Let the movements be a bit unique,' Toomey says, and that's all the permission I need to hear.
En el que acaba sent una de les meves parts preferides de The Class, ens animem a moure'ns lliurement durant tota la durada de la cançó. M'inspira l'absurd silenciós de tot plegat, fent cabriolas per la meva sala d'estar i deixar-lo caure d'una manera que (per molt que sigui inexplicable) em produeix una gran alegria.
Després d'aquest primer esclat de moviment, fem una pausa per observar, i noto que el meu cor s'accelera, però la resta del meu cos encara no em parla. Potser ella no té res a dir.
Although The Class incorporates guided meditation , I can confirm the physical practice is still very legitimate. Much of the movement feels similar to yoga, including poses like cobra and downward dog, and I actually appreciate the repetition. With every exercise, I have plenty of time to build a solid mind-muscle connection and feel the type of burn you'd expect from any other workout class. We move through back extensions, glute bridges, and ab work, with Toomey reminding us to return to the breath. I'm only a little thrown off by more unconventional instructions like 'soften your scalp.'
Val la pena esmentar que el so és un component important de The Class. Toomey ens guia a través de sons profunds i guturals des de l'arrel, que segons ella funcionen contra la tensió i mostren una voluntat d'evolució. Entenc que els sons també estan pensats per ajudar-nos a mantenir-nos en sintonia amb els nostres cossos, servint com un altre acte d'alliberament. És interessant que, fins i tot sol al meu saló, encara em sento una mica avergonyit.
About halfway through the class, I'm hit with the sinking realization that we're building up to an entire song's worth of burpees. Hearing a spiritual mentor like Toomey say such a bro-ish word feels a bit bizarre — like seeing your teacher outside of school. I wonder if maybe this is just a short segment meant to challenge our sense of discipline, but I'm woefully mistaken. 'What would you like to express?' Toomey asks mid-burpee. Enuig, Taryn , responc.
Cortesia de Chandler Plante
If my body was quiet before, it's now screaming at me. We pause to observe again, and in my own subtle act of rebellion, I abandon the virtual class for a 10-second water break. Payback for the burpees. It takes time to regain my trust, but over the course of planking and curtsy lunging, I stubbornly admit the endorphins are flowing, and we eventually find our way back to my favorite block of free-for-all movement.
Maybe it's the rainbow shadows seeping through my stained glass window film, or perhaps the merciful absence of burpees, but the final round of dance unlocks a new level of unadulterated play I'm not used to in my usual workouts. I pull off my claw clip and whip my hair around, which might've made for an incredible main character moment if I wasn't completely alone. We end the class with a meditation, using our arms as tools to release and redirect any lingering energy.
Deixar anar és incòmode, com reconeix Kuhn, però això no ho fa impossible. Gairebé tothom lluita per deixar-se anar , diu a 247CM. Tots creixem amb diferents maneres de voler sentir-nos segurs, vists, segurs i estimats, i aquests mecanismes es converteixen en adjunts. Així, quan algú diu: Oh, deixa-ho anar, per a alguns, sembla que t'acabessin de demanar que deixes anar la teva bassa salvavides al mig de l'oceà.
La Classe is nothing if not self aware. In the middle of the session, Toomey levels with us, saying that the first step of any new thing will usually throw you off center, like trying a new workout class, for example. From here, we practice and gather the tools we need to succeed. There's still a lot I'd like to release, and I don't think I'll ever get there in a single workout, but La Classe gave me the space, the freedom, and very possibly the willingness, to recognize the work that's yet to be done.
Per a mi, això val cada burpee.
